Paperwork piles up as legislator looks forward

Paperwork piles up as legislator looks forward

Oct. 30, 2001

Life In The Legislature
By State Rep. Mark Larson

I sat down at my desk after weeks of meetings on end and attempted to sort through the piles of paper. I have accumulated several stacks, each representing different work priorities. Within easy reach is the "constituent work" pile that receives my constant attention. I keep it right next to the telephone and the computer. This stack is the smallest since I do nothing else until constituent issues are either working or closed.

The "bills for the next session" pile is at the end of my desk and is slowly inching up in priority as the 2002 regular session fast approaches. Didn't we just adjourn on the last regular session? With all the special and extraordinary sessions this year, one has trouble telling them apart. The deadline for submitting three of my five allowable bills is December 1st, so I need to begin finalizing my draft proposals. Okay, maybe I need to move that pile a little closer now.

One stack is labeled "necessary reading" and it has grown exponentially this summer. I have abandoned all hope of ever tackling that pile, yet in my quest for staying on top of everything, I am prone not to give in and throw any of it away. Oops, I just saw the other "necessary reading" pile that I moved several months ago. Before the session I must sort through that stuff and glean all the valuable material I just know is in there. I have wondered whatever happened to that rigid practice I once had when running my business that said, "Never handle anything more than once"? I doubted if whoever wrote that had ever been a legislator.

I have been fairly good about keeping the "Speaking Resources" pile slim and trim. I keep this information for speaking en-gagements where I talk about the previous session, budget is-sues, recent topics circulating around the district and other state related information I have come to know may be asked in meetings.

The remaining space on my desk is taken up by neatly arranged documents consisting of brand new constituent files, new mail (and there is always a ton of new mail), up-and-coming meeting information, and research material. Ultimately, this batch will make its way to another position but not before close scrutiny.

My computer has the priority position on my desk and receives the majority of my attention. E-mail can accumulate quicker than any other form of correspondence and has quickly become the communication of choice with state government and many of my constituents ... and that's okay.

I relish the time I finally have at home. I enjoy being able to look out the window at the field behind my house as I answer e-mail or talk on the phone. I enjoy the soft nudges of my dog, Maddie, urging me to pet her, hoping that I might have a little time to play. I like being able to nuke a cup of instant coffee while I open the mounds of mail or read the statutes searching for an answer. The quiet that I miss so much in Denver or when traveling soothes the anxiety and pressure of meeting so many responsibilities. I probably spend 12 to 14 hours a day in my home office doing things like typing up this article. The stacks may grow taller, the e-mail may increase in numbers and the travel demands linger, but coming home to Southwestern Colorado and all of the pleasures and beauties we are so fortunate to enjoy remind be of why I am so fortunate to be doing this work. God has blessed Colorado.

Mark Larson is a state representative from Cortez. He can be reached at the Capitol by phone, (303) 866-2914; by fax, (303) 866-2218; or by e-mail at marklarson@sni.net . He also has a web site at www.larsoncolorado.com .